FCM Travel Solutions / Top 3 Meetings

Placement organization

Name of organization: FCM Travel Solutions / Top 3 Meetings
Town/city: Birkirkara
Country: Malta
Website: http://fcm.com.mt/

Student

Name of student: Sibel Elbir

Specialist area: ITTI
Placement period: 2017-2018

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Travel Agency – Tour Operator
Organization’s activities: Travel agency
Exists of an outgoing and incoming department
Marketing/Sales – Accounts
Target group of the organization: Malta & Abroad
Company culture: Informal, but you can’t compare it to the Netherlands. There is still a presence of hierarchy.
Number of employees: approximately 30
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working?

Incoming department which is the DMC (Top 3 Meetings)

Brief description of your daily activities: The daily activities are basically what is done by a tour operator (Tour Operating course from NHTV, students will recognize similarities)

Mainly handling requests from clients (contact suppliers and ask for quotations, afterwards preparing costing sheet plus visual proposal)
Contact with suppliers on a daily basis through e-mails or telephone
Helping out with big events (whenever groups are coming from abroad to Malta to guide them with their questions etc.)
Update data base
Brief description of your company assignment: Identify the potential of how digital &social media can attract MICE travel to Malta. Also identify the latest trends (digital) that foreign DMC’s are utilising to have a competitive advantage and enhance the client’s experience.

This was my company assignment.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: You have to be very independent and take initiative

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Independent, flexible, stress-proof, performable, sociable, team player, representative and you have to be able to take initiative at all times
Additional company requirements for this placement? You have to be able to work well with Microsoft – Word, Excel & Powerpoint mainly
English: Advanced
Spanish: Basic
French: Basic
German: Basic
Italian: Basic
Other languages: English has to be advanced, any other languages are always welcome since it is a tourism business

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? Agency
How did you go to work every day? By foot

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? No
Do you need a work permit? No
How did you arrange the necessary documents: N/A
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents? N/A
Did you need certain vaccinations? No
How long in advance? N/A

Language course

Did you take a language course before you started your placement? No
Would you recommend to have a language course prior to this placement? No

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 200 approximately
Accommodation (monthly): € 425eur
Local transport (monthly): € Approximately 20eur
General costs of living (monthly): € 150eur
Costs of visa: € N/A
Costs of work permit: € N/A
What did the company pay for/to you? N/A

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
I did not prepare for the country’s culture – I have let myself surprise – the Maltese people are very hospitable
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? They communicate in Maltese very often

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: sibelelbir1994@hotmail.com

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Malta is very small – explore the island as much as possible

Use ecabs as an uber or txfy me instead of the white cabs

Get a Tallinja Card
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: The placement is situated in Birkirkara – very closeby to Sliema, Valletta and St. Julian’s

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link